


The Other One

by tielan



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 08:09:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6110428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan





	The Other One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlphaFlyer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaFlyer/gifts).



Maria dislikes hospitals, institutions, anywhere that smells disinfected, sterile. There’s no reason for her distaste – at least, no more reason than simple dislike.

But she’s not here because she likes the place.

She’s here to see an old friend.

First floor, right down the end of the Rose Wing, said the nurses at the desk after they’d cleared her name. This wasn’t somewhere you could just walk in – oh, no. Maria noted the security cameras, the assistants who looked hand-to-hand competent, and the layout of the rooms and the fire doors that could section off the place in the event of a siege.

Yes, she was contemplating siege scenarios in a nursing home.

 _There are no places so sacrosanct that you can afford to be unwary in them,_ said her instructors of the last week. _Notice the layout, where everything lies, what is to hand if you’re trapped, caught out. Operatives know where they are – but more importantly, they know what they can use to get out of where they are._

As she reached the Rose Wing, Maria somehow doubted that her instructors had ever considered their advice might be applied to a nursing home.

“Ms Hill?” The duty nurse is Filipino, her face round and smiling. “Ms. Carter’s in Room 13A – the one on the end. She’s already got a visitor with her.”

“Thank you.”

Good security, good care, paid for by good money.

It’s…reassuring…to know that Director Carter is being looked after.

The room is quiet, no sign of either Peggy or the visitor. But there’s a door that leads out to a shared verandah, and the verandah leads out to the garden. Maria hesitates at the external door, then sees movement in the garden, and pushes it open and steps out onto wooden decking.

In the middle of the rose garden, two women turn to look at her, one dark head, one white. After a moment, Peggy lifts her hand to Maria, beckoning her over.

As Maria makes her way through the afternoon roses, the dark-haired woman studies her. Middle-aged, Asiatic, dressed like an agent, but not someone Maria recognises. Then again, the world is full of S.H.I.E.L.D Operatives and Maria hasn’t yet met all of them.

“Maria.” Peggy regards her, smiles. “How lovely of you to come and visit.”

“They let us out to roam wild and free for a couple of weeks.” And Maria didn’t have anyone she particularly wished to visit. She’d made a few friends at the Academy, but tagging along with them for her first holiday seemed…clingy. Awkward. Better to head out herself, do her own thing, catch up on things that she wanted to do instead of dancing to someone else’s tune.

“Then I’m glad you made the time to visit me. Maria, this is Lian Qing, an old friend.”

Maria shakes hands, noting the slight callouses on the well-weathered palm. “Ms. Qing.”

“Another of your agents, Director?” The older woman studies Maria, who promptly revises her thoughts on Ms. Qing’s background. Not S.H.I.E.L.D, although likely some other alphabet soup. It makes sense; Peggy would have known and worked with many people in the intelligence community. “Madripoor?”

Is the question directed at Maria or Peggy? Peggy is smiling, so Maria answers. “Without knowing your clearance level, ma’am, I’m afraid I can’t say.”

Peggy’s laugh rings out, and Ms. Qing’s mouth quirks. “A wise and diplomatic answer. Always a need for more of those in Intelligence.”

“Ah-ah, Lian,” Peggy says. “No poaching!”

“Ah, the taste of irony,” Ms. Qing sniffs.

“Melinda’s range of skills would have been wasted in the CIA, and you know it.”

“I know nothing of the sort.” The dark eyes regard Maria. “You do like the fire-breathers.”

Maria stares at the...well, it’s probably a compliment. But it’s given with sharp assessment and frank acceptance, which is something that never happens, even among her instructors.

Peggy laughs. “What was that name I heard Fury give you last time you clashed?”

“I don’t want to discuss it.” Ms. Qing puts up a hand, then puts it over Peggy’s hand on the walking stick, a gesture that’s at once both intimate and reassuring. “I’ll look into what you’ve asked.”

“I appreciate it.” Peggy tilts her head. “And my regards to Melinda.”

Maria watches the other woman go, noting the easy stride, the odd hang of her jacket. Definitely packing, then. She’s kind of surprised security let her in like that.

“Lian has her ways,” Peggy says, as though Maria asked the question out loud. When Maria looks at her, surprised, the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D grins. “Two weeks of vacation, you say? You’d be through the first semester, then. And thriving.” She looks up into Maria’s eyes, her eyes dark and piercing in the folds and wrinkles of her face. “Yes,” she says, clearly satisfied with what she sees. “S.H.I.E.L.D is good for you. I’m glad. If you were going to break in here, how would you do it?”

Maria blinks, but considers it. “Over the back fence,” she says. “At dinnertime or dawn. What am I breaking in for?”

“A break-out?” Peggy smiles as Maria stares. “No, don’t fear that I’m planning how to get out of here. I know my limits. Unfortunately, they’re rather…smaller than they used to be.” She waves at the rose garden. “We’ll take one more turn about the garden – the doctors keep blathering about how I need my exercise – and you can tell me all the gossip from the Operations Academy and S.H.I.E.L.D.” Her eyes gleamed. “Starting with whose feathers got most ruffled when Fury got promoted to Director.”

“I don’t—” Maria’s protest dies as Peggy turns a hawklike eye on her. “All right,” she concedes. “I’ll tell you what I know. But this is gossip.”

Peggy laughs. “My dear child. Gossip is merely the word men use to shame women passing information among themselves.”


End file.
